ROXAS TO ACTING DOJ SEC: WAIVE FILING FEES
FOR PRE-NEED VICTIMS
LAMENTS INACTION OF EX-DOJ CHIEF GONZALEZ ON REPEATED REQUEST

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today appealed to Acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera to act positively on his appeal for a waiver of filing fees for pre-need victims, which his predecessor Raul Gonzalez ignored.

Roxas, chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee, had written Gonzalez twice (February 26 and May 29) requesting that he allow the waiver of the payment of the DOJ filing fees collected against complainants who wish to pursue their cases in courts.

He had also filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking the exemption of pre-need and investment scam victims from the payment of court fees.

"Under your new leadership, I write to renew my appeal to exempt pre-need victims from paying the DOJ filing fees as manifested in my 26 February 2009 and 29 May 2009 letters to then Secretary of Justice Raul Gonzalez," he said in his letter to Devanadera dated June 22.

He reiterated that "pre-need plan holders have already gone through so much financially given that they have lost hard-earned monies to pre-need companies and considering that the DOJ filing fees and the court legal fees serve as further unwarranted barriers to their ongoing quest for justice."

"Paulit-ulit na akong umapela kay Sec. Gonzalez ngunit hindi niya pinakinggan ang aking mga pakiusap at ang hinaing ng libo-libong biktima ng mga pre-need companies," he said.

"Sunod-sunod ang dagok na dumarating sa mga kawawang biktima ng Legacy at iba pang pre-need companies. Kailangang patunayan ng pamahalaang ito ang pangakong hindi pababayaan ang taumbayan," the Visayan senator said.

Roxas also cited that the Supreme Court has taken cognizance of his appeal, pointing to its Resolution referring his petition to its Committee on Revision of the Rules of Court, Office of the Court Administrator, and the Fiscal Management and Budget office for comment.

"Seeing that the Supreme Court has already undertaken measures to resolve the matter, I hope that my appeal to your department will also merit a similar action," he stated.

"Unahin dapat ng gobyerno ang kapakanan ng taumbayan bago ang interest ng mga pre-need companies at ng mga tulad ni Celso de los Angeles," he added.